Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair. I would not like my constituents to think I am travelling too much. Travel, however, has definitely increased at the moment. I am delighted to be here again to update the committee on developments. As usual, it has been a very busy time since I was last with the committee in December, not least regarding Brexit. I attended the General Affairs Council yesterday where our focus was primarily on the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, preparations for the March European Council and the Commission proposal, Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030. Ministers also discussed the rule of law in Poland and values of the Union in Hungary.

With the Chair's permission, I propose to focus on four headline issues. They are our preparedness and contingency plans for Brexit, the next multi-annual financial framework, an update on the other issues discussed during yesterday’s meeting of the General Affairs Council and, finally, I will give the committee an overview of the work Ireland is undertaking on building alliances across the EU. I know that the committee is focused on and committed to that as well.

I will first update the committee on Brexit. A no-deal Brexit would be highly disruptive and would have profound political, economic and legal implications, most seriously for the UK, but also for Ireland and the rest of the EU. In light of the ongoing political uncertainties in the UK and the Brexit deadline of 29 March, just a few short weeks away, the Government agreed greater priority should be given immediately to preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Since then, the Government published its Brexit contingency action plan on 19 December. This sets out in detail sectoral analyses and approaches to mitigating the impact of a no-deal Brexit. The plan is designed to be consistent with and complementary to the approach being taken at an EU 27 level to prepare for the UK’s withdrawal. The legislative provisions envisaged in that plan are due to be published this Friday and will be introduced in the Dáil next week.

I will now focus on the non-legislative preparedness measures being taken to ensure east-west trade continues as smoothly as possible. We are, of course, developing the additional physical infrastructure needed at our ports and airports. At Dublin and Rosslare ports, sites suitable for temporary infrastructure have been identified and refurbishment work has already begun. Space for truck parking is being secured in both locations. At the same time, plans are advanced for the development of permanent infrastructure in both ports. At Dublin Airport, existing facilities can cater for the volumes of traffic involved in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Revenue will have 400 additional customs staff trained and in place by the end of March. An additional 200 staff can also be recruited by the end of this year. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is implementing the necessary steps to facilitate more sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, controls. Veterinary personnel and 70 other support staff are now being recruited to implement animal and health SPS checks, as are 61 extra environmental health staff. In budgets 2017, 2018 and 2019 the Government put in place supports to help businesses prepare for Brexit. These include a €300 million future growth loan scheme and a separate €300 million Brexit loan scheme for business.

Ireland is also preparing for Brexit as part of the EU 27 and with the full support of the European Commission. Many of the actions aimed at mitigating the effects of a no-deal outcome will be taken at an EU level, as they involve sectors regulated by EU law. The European Commission published its contingency action plan in November and a communication on contingency in December. These contained guidance on planning for Brexit but also outlined approaches in key areas. The EU has also published more than 80 Brexit preparedness notices. The Commission’s contingency action plan emphasises that it stands ready to engage with the member states most affected by a no-deal withdrawal. It also states that “the Commission will support Ireland in finding solutions addressing the specific challenges of Irish businesses”. The EU has agreed to facilitate basic connectivity in air transport and road haulage between the UK and the EU on an interim basis in a no-deal scenario. The Government continues to engage in intensive discussions with the European Commission and with our EU partners. My colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, had a detailed discussion with and answered questions in the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence last week.

Regarding the MFF, the European Council had its first substantive discussion of that proposal in December, following a number of policy discussions by the General Affairs Council, which I attend, in the autumn. The ground was well prepared by the Austrian Presidency which presented a draft “negotiating box”. This document essentially outlines the key issues ultimately requiring political decisions. We welcomed that work as balanced and fair and we see it as the basis for ongoing work in the European Council. We have, however, stressed that we do not feel the balance is quite right yet. The Heads of State and Government also said that the European Council should aim to reach agreement on the MFF in the autumn of this year. We agree with that proposal.

As the European Council President, Mr. Tusk, has highlighted, there is still much work to be done to reach a common position. Each member state has its own priorities, as does the European Parliament, which is also part of the negotiating geometry. Negotiations on the MFF are always difficult, but these negotiations have an added complexity due to the uncertainties surrounding Brexit. The European Parliament elections will also have an impact. The likelihood, therefore, is that agreement will not be reached in European Council until the latter half of 2019.

Since December, the General Affairs Council has had two discussions on the subject, the latest just yesterday in Brussels. The Romanian Presidency presented Ministers with a state of play report, which includes a work programme for the months ahead. The Presidency will focus now on narrowing down the range of options contained in the “negotiating box” and its aim is to have a revised negotiating box prepared ahead of the June European Council. It is expected that the General Affairs Council will hold a series of thematic discussions in the meantime to provide the Presidency with political guidance on some of the cross-cutting aspects of the budget. We have suggested some on climate change and migration, as well as contingency and others. Work is also under way on agreeing the sectoral programmes which the new budget will fund, either at European Council level or, in some cases, in trilogue with the European Parliament, while that is still possible. Consideration of the proposed euro area budget is also under way.

The Irish position has not changed since I last addressed the committee. As the Taoiseach emphasised at the December EU Council, we want a well-funded Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. The Taoiseach also underlined the need to protect the structural and cohesion funds for countries in central and eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Ireland, as we know, benefitted enormously from these funds and the investment in our infrastructure that was made possible by them.

In the current climate we need to ensure continued funding for the INTERREG and PEACE programmes, which are integral to the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process and particularly important to Northern Ireland and the Border region. It is essential that we continue to fund other programmes that work, such as ERASMUS+, which is particularly valuable to young people. Another example is Horizon Europe, formerly Horizon 2020, which will support the investment in research and development necessary to create the jobs of the future.

In regard to the overall General Affairs Council, GAC, agenda I will now mention the other topics discussed at the meeting yesterday. We discussed the agenda for next month’s European Council. The March meeting will discuss climate change, providing guidance on the overall direction of a long-term EU strategy to be submitted under the Paris Agreement. We will also prepare for the EU-China summit which will take place in April. In preparation for the next EU strategic agenda, the March Council will focus as always on jobs, growth and competitiveness. We welcome the inclusion of this topic on the European Council agenda and we are looking forward to a substantive discussion at the meeting.

Ireland has consistently been a strong supporter of the Single Market and of removing restrictions to trade in goods and services within the EU. In particular, as I emphasised yesterday, we have stressed the need to make greater progress on services in the Single Market. This is essential for the competitiveness of all member states and for Europe to remain competitive with other global trading blocs. Ireland and four other member states commissioned a recent report by Copenhagen Economics, entitled Making EU Trade in Services Work for All. It clearly shows that the strength of the Single Market is linked inextricably with Europe’s competitiveness on the world stage and with European prosperity.

My colleagues and I also exchanged views yesterday on the Commission’s reflection paper, Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030. The paper outlines how EU policy is contributing towards achieving the sustainable development goals and where further action is required. Ireland welcomes the paper as another confirmation of the EU’s ongoing commitment to achieving the sustainable development goals. The discussions made clear our hope that it would bring a renewed sense of urgency. The goals were first agreed more than three years ago. In particular, we support the paper’s reaffirmation that sustainable development is deeply rooted in the European project. As I repeated to the Commissioner yesterday, many member states, including Ireland, have their own national implementation strategies. The EU’s focus should now be on ambitious practical implementation, not general discussion within the European Union.

Finally, two important topics have been preoccupying the General Affairs Council, namely, the rule of law in Poland and the values of the EU in Hungary. The GAC held five hearings on Poland last year and the Romanian Presidency updated Ministers on those issues yesterday. As the committee will be aware, the central issue is the rule of law and its application there. In October, the European Court of Justice issued an interim ruling ordering Poland to adopt measures to temporarily suspend the application of Polish legislation which had lowered the retirement age for sitting and future judges. Poland has since adopted legislation to amend the law affecting its Supreme Court and enable the return to work of judges forced to retire. This move was in response to the interim ruling. A final judgment from the European Court of Justice is due within the next few months.

Ours is a Union based on shared values including democracy, human rights and the rule of law and Ireland has consistently supported the Commission in this matter. In my intervention yesterday I urged Poland to continue its engagement with the Commission on concerns that have been aired while acknowledging the importance of the work Poland has done to date. I also acknowledged the fact that Commission Vice-President Timmermans has raised further concerns about which we had not previously heard. We urge the Polish Government to continue to engage. The Presidency concluded that the EU Council will remain seized of the issue.

The Presidency also updated Ministers on Hungary yesterday. As the committee will know, the Parliament referred an opinion on the values of the European Union to the Council following the adoption of the Sargentini report. The Commission has since prepared a paper on the values-related infringement procedures that it has undertaken to address concerns about the situation in Hungary. Ireland has previously made its concerns known in relation to issues surrounding the rule of law generally, particularly recent legislation targeting non-governmental actors in Hungary. Several member states, including Ireland, expressed concerns yesterday about the current situation in Hungary and the Presidency promised to return to the issue in due course. At this time, when we are facing many challenges within the European Union, it is more important than ever that we stand by our shared values. Moreover, a new development was raised by the Commissioner yesterday concerning a Government-funded campaign in Hungary specifically targeting Mr. George Soros and the President of the Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker. This is a worrying new development. Obviously these issues need to be dealt with on the basis of mutual respect, and I hope we will be able to discuss them again at a later date.

Finally, I would like to comment on alliance-building and strengthening the EU. Ireland has always been an outward-looking country and recognised that our influence grows through co-operation with others. As we were reminded during the Dáil 100 celebrations, one of the first acts of the Dáil was to send a message to the free nations of the world to ask for their support in our search for independence. The presence of so many of our friends and EU partners at the anniversary celebrations and the remarkable solidarity we have experienced throughout the Brexit negotiations is a testament to Ireland’s message being heard and to our place at the heart of Europe. Solidarity is built on understanding, shared perspectives and reciprocity. It is a priority for us to thank our European partners for the solidarity they have shown to us, but it is also essential that we understand their perspectives on the full range of issues we face in our shared Union and to discuss our priorities for the future. To do this, we have strategically increased the range and intensity of our contacts with other member states and the EU institutions. We have intensified our engagement at political and official level, strengthened our diplomatic presence and undertaken joint initiatives to help to shape the EU agenda in a way that best reflects the interests of the Irish people.

The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and I have stepped up bilateral engagement with our European counterparts. Last year, along with my general affairs visits and other Council meetings I managed to visit nine other EU capitals as well as the European Parliament in Strasbourg. I look forward to meeting my Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts in Riga and Vilnius later this month. The Government’s ambitious programme of visits for St. Patrick’s Day will serve as a platform to underline Ireland’s commitment to and membership of the European Union. Ministers will visit all 27 European capitals over the St. Patrick’s Day period. Extra personnel have been added to key missions and more will follow in this summer’s rotation. A Consulate General of Ireland will open in Cardiff shortly and a new Irish Consulate will open in Frankfurt in the autumn on foot of a root-and-branch review of our relations with Germany. The Irish ambassador in Paris is due to make proposals to the Tánaiste and myself in April as part of a wider review of our excellent relations with France. I also want to recognise the very important role that this committee plays in strengthening our engagement with both current and prospective member states. I am heartened to see this reflected in its work programme for the coming year. I thank members for their efforts. I would like to thank the committee for the invitation to speak here. I thank the Chairman and his team for the work that they do and I look forward to any questions from the Deputies and Senators.